


The Scars You Try to Hide

by DreadNaught13



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-12
Updated: 2014-08-19
Packaged: 2018-02-12 19:35:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2122128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreadNaught13/pseuds/DreadNaught13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico di Angelo brought some Tartarus back with him. Jason Grace is the only one who notices.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

Nico sat on the spar of the foremast, looking out at the sea. It was surprisingly calm on the ocean, even without…him…to help with their travels. Night had fallen a few hours ago, but he hadn’t come down for dinner with the others. He would go down once most everyone had gone to bed and grab a few pieces of fruit. He couldn’t stomach much these days anyway.  
  
He huddled deeper into his aviator’s jacket as the wind tore at him. He was sure his hair was an inky nest of snarls from the strong breezes this high up. He didn’t care about what he looked like, but the cold knifed through him. He preferred the cold because it helped to keep him awake.  
  
“Nico?” a voice called from the base of the mast. “You need to eat.” It was Hazel.  
  
He gave her the barest of smiles. He didn’t deserve her, and he hated that she worried for him. “I’ll get something later,” he called down to her, wondering if the winds would snatch his words before it reached her ears.  
  
“Don’t stay up there all night,” she scolded. “Jason’s got watch. He can handle it. You still need to get your rest.”  
  
Grace. Jason Grace. Perfect praetor of New Rome, son of Zeus, leader of men. The Golden Boy. His gaze picked out Leo at the helm, checking on the metal dragon Festus that served as the ship’s navigation system, but saw no sign of Grace.   
  
“I’ll be okay, Hazel,” he soothed. “I’ll sleep in a little while.”  
  
“Promise?” She narrowed her golden eyes and gave him a dubious look.  
  
He held up his hand, mimicking like he was taking an oath in court. “I promise.”   
  
Hazel nodded and gave a slight hmph before returning belowdecks to spend some quality time with Frank. Nico watched her go, a sad smile on his face. Soon she wouldn’t need him.   
  
_She never needed you…_  
  
 _She never loved you…_  
  
 _Neither did Bianca…_  
  
 _Neither will Per--…_  
  
Nico slammed the back of his head into the mast to keep that voice from saying his name.  
  
The voice whispered to him, inside his head. Whenever he let his guard down, it was there, telling him how worthless he was, how weak and useless, how much of a burden he was to everyone he came in contact with. It told him that no one could ever love him--how could they possibly when he was filthy, a freak who flew in the face of the laws of Nature…  
  
Nico dug his fingers into his scalp, grabbing at hanks of his hair and yanking them as hard as he could. The pain grounded him, brought him out of his dark thoughts.   
It was the voice he’d heard in Tartarus. The voice of Tartarus. He’d brought it out with him.  
  
He took a deep breath, and then another. Slowly, the hateful thoughts ebbed like a tide going out to sea. Nico concentrated on controlling his breathing, on keeping himself calm. He could already see the darkness growing deeper near him, the shadows reaching out for him. They’d always been attuned to him and his emotions, but since he’d gotten out of Tartarus, his hold on them had grown unpredictable.   
  
Eating something might help. Even if his stomach felt sick and empty, even if the food he ate lay in it like a rock, even if he could barely force it down his throat, he needed to keep going. He’d made a promise to lead the Seven to the House of Hades. He couldn’t do that if he was dead.  
  
Actually, maybe…  
  
Nico shook his head to clear it. He must be more tired than he thought, and he thought he was exhausted. Demigods had always been prone to interesting and sometimes disturbing dreams, but since Tartarus, Nico’s nightmares had gone up by a factor of eleven. The times he risked sleeping, he woke up screaming and bathed in sweat.  
  
And always there was that voice, the voice he’d heard the entire time he’d been Tartarus, the voice that told him he was alone, would always be alone because who could possibly want him? He ruined everything he touched. He was barely human, he was closer to being a specter like his title Ghost King implied.   
  
Climbing to his feet, Nico slid down the mast until his feet hit the deck with a bump. He looked around to make sure no one was looking for him, and then headed down to the galley to rummage up some food.   
  
The kitchen was thankfully empty. It sounded like most everyone was getting ready to bunk down for the night. The thought of bunking down brought with it a jaw-cracking yawn. Rubbing at tired eyes, Nico almost wished he dared to sleep. But he was afraid of what dreams might come…  
  
 _Coward..._  
  
 _Gutless..._  
  
 _Useless..._  
  
 _Worthless..._  
  
Nico’s hands shook as he poured water into the coffeemaker and set it to brew. He wanted caffeine, enough to make his heart quiver and jump in his chest, to keep him awake for days. And still the voice came.  
  
“Stop. It,” Nico hissed, not realizing he spoke aloud. He gripped the countertop so tightly his knuckles went white and he bowed over, leaning his head against the cool metal.   
  
He needed to be strong, to get this under some kind of control. Annabeth and…him… were in Tartarus right now, and he knew better than anyone what they were facing.  
  
 _They face it together…_  
  
 _You were alone…_  
  
 _You’re always alone…_  
  
“Enough.” He ground the word out around teeth gritted so tight he thought he pulverized a molar into dust.   
  
“Nico? You okay, man?”   
  
Grace. Perfect.   
  
He pulled himself straight up so fast that he nearly slammed Jason in the face with the back of his head. “Yeah, I’m good. Just getting some coffee to wake up.” He yanked the still brewing pot from under the coffeemaker and sloshed some of the contents from the pot into the closest mug. He dumped a spoonful of sugar in it and took a swig.  
  
Jason had his arms crossed over his chest, a mulish look on his face when Nico turned around to face him. The son of Hades nearly spat the coffee back in the mug after he scalded his tongue, but he choked it down.   
  
“You sure about that?”   
  
_He thinks you’re a weakling and not to be trusted…_  
  
“Yeah,” Nico snarled, banging the mug down on the counter and escaping to the upper deck and fresh air.


	2. Two

The ground pulsed beneath his feet, like the beating of a giant heart. Poisonous black smoke filled the stinking air. The heat was unbearable. Nico stumbled and fell to his knees, black hair hanging lank in his eyes. He used his Stygian iron sword to help push himself back to his feet. He had to keep going.  
  
His pale skin was blistered, covered in cuts and burns. His throat felt raw from the fiery water of the Phlegethon that he’d force down, gagging and wretching as his body tried to bring it back up, rebelling at the burning liquid.  
  
 _Loathed…_  
  
 _Feared…_  
  
 _Despised…_  
  
And the monsters, an endless parade of them. Nico’s sword arm grew heavy as he fought and fought and fought, as all the while…  
  
 _Unclean…_  
  
 _Unloved…_  
  
 _Unwanted…_  
  
And he was so tired, more tired than he’d ever been, but he couldn’t sleep, couldn’t rest. He had to keep going to find the Doors.  
  
Monsters exploded into black dust, but more took their place. Nico sobbed in exhaustion and pain and fear. Claws ripped at him, teeth tore through his flesh, poison flooded his veins. He staggered and fell, the glassy surface of Tartarus opening more holes in his flesh.  
  
 _Freak…_  
  
 _Worthless…_  
  
 _Waste…_  
  
Nico looked up into dark eyes so like his own and screamed as Bianca’s arrow plowed into his chest…  
  
***

“Nico!”   
  
Someone was yelling his name. That same someone was shaking him, trying to get him to wake up.   
  
Nico shoved whoever it was away from him, breath coming in panting gasps. His chest felt bruised, like Hannibal the elephant had been sitting on it for a few hours. He scrambled away until his back hit the low wooden wall of the crow’s nest where he had retreated to in the hopes of getting some peace and quiet.  
  
Peace and quiet was way overrated.   
  
He looked around, eyes wild. The afterimages of his Tartarus nightmare still lingered in his vision and his mind. Nico flinched away with a small cry when he saw a hand coming toward him. He slapped it away, already grabbing for the blade on his belt.   
  
“It’s me--Jason!” The son of Zeus floated over the side of the crow’s nest, landing lightly next to the dazed young man.   
  
Nico stopped his scrabbling away and blinked. He looked up at Jason, brow creased in confusion. “Jason?”   
  
Jason knelt down, but tried not to loom over the son of Hades. The kid had been through the wringer enough already. “Yeah, it’s me. Just me.”  
  
Nico slumped back, throwing his head back against the warm wood. His head hurt and his eyes felt like they’d been boiled and then stuffed back into their sockets. When he wiped his hands over his face, Nico could feel them shaking.   
  
And Jason Grace was there to witness the whole thing. Terrific.  
  
“What are you doing up here?” He realized his voice sounded hoarse, making him wonder how long or loud he’d been screaming. He wished he had a room to himself, but he wouldn’t use either Annabeth’s or… _his_. It just seemed wrong.  
  
Even if a little bit of privacy would be damn nice right about now, especially with nosey sons of Jupiter hanging around the rigging.  
  
“I heard you yell. Thought I’d come check things out.” Jason looked at him like might sprout a nest of snakes on his head, but he didn’t immediately run away screaming. Even though he probably wanted to.  
  
Nico rubbed his left arm with his right hand absently, before climbing to his feet. “I’m fine,” he told Jason, daring him to say anything.  
  
Jupiter’s son frowned, disbelief etched on his face like an inscription. He raised his eyebrows at Nico, but the dark-haired teen just glared. They stood that way for a few moments, well past the point of awkwardness. Nico felt frayed around the edges, but didn’t drop his gaze.  
  
Finally, Jason shrugged. “Okay, man. But if you need to talk…”  
  
“I don’t,” Nico assured him, voice harsh.  
  
He waited until Jason flew back to the deck before wrapping his arms around his body and sinking to his knees.

 


	3. Three

The only way Split could have gone worse is if he’d accidentally impaled himself on his Stygian sword. Damn Cupid, damn Diocletian and his stupid damn scepter, and damn Jason Grace for being present when the God of Love decided it would be fun to rip out Nico’s heart and eat it while it was still beating.  
  
It didn’t help that Cupid had thrown some of the same words at him that Tartarus had. Nico knew he was a coward, he knew he was a freak. The kids at Camp Half-Blood still could barely stand to be around him, even after the Titan War. Camp Jupiter had been a little better, but he still felt he was a liar. If they knew what he was, they’d drive him out. Maybe Hazel too.  
  
He wouldn’t let that happen.  
  
Jason had been quiet after Cupid had given them the scepter. Thank the gods for that, because Nico wasn’t sure if he would have been able to keep his anger in check and he didn’t want to lash out at the Roman if he could help it. Jason wasn’t to blame for what Cupid did. Contrary to what everyone thought of him, he didn’t enjoy lashing out at people, but he did value his privacy.  
  
When Jason had suggested flying back to the ship, Nico had rebelled. The last thing he wanted was anyone touching him. Bad enough he had to put his hand on Jason’s arm to shadow travel them back to the Argo II. He couldn’t imagine having to endure being close to someone after the mess Cupid had just made of his head.  
  
 _He knows…_  
  
 _He’ll tell everyone…_  
  
 _He hates you…_  
  
 _You disgust him…_  
  
 _You disgust everyone…_  
  
 _Pitiful demigod…_  
  
 _Even your own sister left you…_  
  
 _Your sister never loved you…how could she…she ran away from you as fast as she could…_  
  
Nico squeezed his eyes shut and willed the voice in his head to quiet. He had a job to do, a promise to keep. And he was going to keep the promise he made to Pe-- to _him_ even if it took his last breath. He might be weak, but he would not let his friends--no, they weren’t his friends--he would not let the people who were counting on him down.  
  
Grabbing Jason’s arm, he led them through shadow and safely aboard the ship. He misjudged locations though and put them in the hold where they were keeping the Athena Parthenos. There were shadows aplenty here, and Nico set them down right at the base of the statue.  
  
His knees buckled. He’d overdone it. Summoning all the dead soldiers to fight Cupid, the emotional confession, getting knocked into pillars by a sadistic love god, and then shadow traveling them back to the Argo II combined with an epic case of sleep deprivation meant that Nico officially had nothing left in the tank. Not even fumes.  
He sank to the floor, unable to hide his exhaustion even if he’d wanted to. He felt worn down, like a pencil that just kept getting sharpened until there was nothing left but a nub of lead. Nico didn’t even think he could make it up to the rigging or the crow’s nest to be out of people’s way. All he wanted to do was just lay here for about a million years and not think or do anything.  
  
Yeah, that sounded aces.  
  
“Come on, Nico,” Jason urged from somewhere close by. He turned his head, but couldn’t get his eyes to open.  
  
A few light slaps from Jason solved that problem. He cracked his eyelids open enough to glare at the blond demigod before him. “You got something against sleep?” he slurred, so bone tired that even speaking required a monumental effort.  
  
“You’re not sleeping here. You’re going to rest in a bed for once.” Jason’s tone brooked no arguments, making Nico laugh at the absurdity of the situation.  
  
“Don’t have a bed. Don’t have a _room_ ,” he mumbled, trying to push the young man away. Why couldn’t Grace just let him take a damn nap with Athena as a pillow?  
  
“You’ll stay in mine.” The son of Jupiter hauled him up and draped a listless arm over his broad shoulders.  
  
“You’re pushy,” Nico told him as Jason wrapped his arm around his waist and they began to stumble their way to the sleeping quarters.  
  
“And you’re scary, but I’m not holding that against you,” Jason snarled, hoisting Nico up higher so the young man’s feet didn’t drag along behind him.  
  
Nico grinned, head lolling back on a neck gone all rubbery from exhaustion. “I know, right?” Diocletian’s scepter bumped against his hip.  
  
Jason grunted as he shouldered more of Nico’s weight. “Actually, you’re not that scary,” he told him, as he shouldered his cabin door open.  
  
“Must be doing something wrong then,” Nico muttered, half-asleep on his feet.  
  
He felt Jason set him down on the bed, surprisingly gentle. He expected to just be dumped onto the bed like a sack of potatoes. Grace even slipped his Chuck’s off his feet and lifted his legs onto the mattress before tucking a soft blanket around him. Nico was out before Jason even finished.  
  
***   
Jason looked down at Nico’s profile. When he was sleeping, the years and cares seemed to just melt away from the son of Hades. His skin was still pale, too pale, but the haunted look had eased from his face. The intense brown eyes that missed nothing, that were liked cracked windows into that sharp mind, were closed, the long lashes resting against the bruised skin beneath his eyes.  
  
Clenching his fists, Jason blew out a frustrated breath. What Cupid had done was horrible. The God of Love was nothing but a bully and Jason hated bullies. From everything Jason had heard, Nico had been through enough in his short life, and he certainly hadn’t deserved that. But the kid had surprised him. The Son of Hades had done the hardest and bravest thing Jason had ever seen--admitting his orientation and his feelings for Percy, things that should he should have been able to keep secret until he wanted to tell them--and gotten them Diocletian’s scepter.  
  
Nico’d probably just saved their mission. And nobody would likely ever know.  
  
It wasn’t fair. Then again, Jason was a demigod. He knew, better than most, how little fair entered into things.


	4. Four

Jason was on deck with the rest of their remaining crew, minus Coach Hedge. He’d told everyone that Nico had managed to get them the scepter and that Jason had left a message for Reyna, leaving out the encounter with Cupid. When Hazel had wanted to check on her brother, Jason had told her that Nico had exhausted himself and was sleeping off the effects of his shadow travel in Jason’s room. Hazel had subsided, but promised to check on him later.   
  
The sky was clear and the sea relatively calm. Piper draped his arm over her shoulder and leaned into him as they stood at the rail. Jason stared at the coastline, just a dim hint of land in the distance. He had his mind on other things.  
  
“You’re being pretty quiet,” Piper told him.  
  
He looked down at her, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile. He loved the swirl of colors in her eyes, how one moment they were green, the next sort of amber, then a beautiful brown. He never knew what he was going to get when he looked into them, and it was the best kind of surprise.   
  
“Sorry,” he said, pulling her a little closer into his body. “Just got a lot on my mind.”  
  
“You’re worried about Reyna, aren’t you?”  
  
Jason blinked, taken aback at Piper’s words. That wasn’t who he’d been thinking about just then, but he guessed he was worried about her too. She was flying across an ocean alone, something no demigod had ever done before. If anyone could make it, it was Reyna; of that he had no doubt. He was so sure of her success that it never even occurred to him to worry.  
  
“Yeah, and other people.” His mind wandered to the young man passed out on his bed. He wanted to be Nico’s friend, wanted to show him that he wasn’t hated or any of the other things he’d said at Cupid’s temple. Jason didn’t know where he’d gotten those ideas in his head that people thought of him that way. He may not have been the most popular kid at Camp Jupiter, but he was respected by most everyone there. He didn’t think Camp Half-Blood would be that different.  
  
“Percy and Annabeth will be fine,” Piper said, and Jason didn’t know if she was trying to convince him or herself. “They have each other. Nothing will be able to stop them.”  
  
“Yeah,” Jason said absently, thinking of Nico who’d had no one and still made it through.  
  
“Hey, what’s that?” Piper asked, pointing to the port side of the ship. She pushed away from Jason for a better look.  
  
His eyes searched the area she had pointed to. A dark mist was gathering on that side, but otherwise Jason couldn’t see anything weird. “Leo?” he called.  
  
The son of Hephaestus’s head popped up from behind the navigation console where he’d been continuing to fiddle with Festus. “Whaddup?” He wiped the back of his hand across his forehead, leaving a streak of grease behind.  
  
“Looks like something might be headed our way.” Jason gestured to the mist.  
  
Leo glanced at the screen he had rigged up to function as a kind of sonar. “I got nothing here.” He peered over the side. “Maybe it’s just fog.”  
  
Then a sword thunked into the railing right next to his head. Leo yelled and ducked out of the way of the next swing. Two waterlogged skeletons leaped onto the deck.  
  
“Uh, guys,” Piper said, taking out her dagger and slashing at skeletal arms and hands as they grabbed hold of the railing, “there’s a lot of them.”   
  
Jason looked down and saw that Piper was right. The sea below them teemed with skeletons. “Hazel! Frank!” he shouted.  
  
An arrow thudded into a skeleton’s empty eye socket. It fell overboard. Frank and Hazel bounded up, arrow nocked and sword drawn. More skeletons swarmed aboard.  
  
“Where are they coming from?” Leo shouted, hands wreathed in flames.   
  
Jason held his sword in front of him before bringing it down on a skeleton trying to board the Argo II. “Who knows?” he shouted back.   
  
“Hazel, can you do anything about them?” Piper asked.  
  
The other demigod shook her head. “That’s not really Pluto’s thing so much as Hades. Nico would be better able to handle it.”  
  
“Well then somebody needs to wake up the Ghost King and get his butt up here!” Leo lit up one of the skeletons and shoved it overboard.   
  
“I’ll go,” Jason yelled before anyone else could volunteer. “Keep ‘em busy until I get back!”  
  
“You got it,” Frank said as he let fly another arrow.  
  
Jason ran down the stairs, heading for his cabin. He plowed through the door to find the son of Hades tossing and turning in bed, darkness roiling around the floor. A thump on the porthole made Jason jump. A skeletal fist slammed into the reinforced glass, but so far the window was holding.   
  
Turning back to the bed, Jason could see that Nico’s eyes were open, wide and unseeing. His body shook, the tremors visible even from where Jason stood. He heard Nico cry out and then curl up, as if reliving some hurt.   
  
The skeleton banged on the window again, and Jason realized two things simultaneously. Nico was in the throes of a Tartarus nightmare, and he was the one controlling the skeletons. He must be calling them up to protect him from whatever he was dreaming about. Jason knew he had to wake him up before the others figured out what was happening or before anyone got hurt.  
  
“Nico!” he yelled, but the boy didn’t even blink. If anything he seemed to sink further into himself. “Nico, wake up! It’s just a nightmare!”   
  
The skeleton smashed its fist against the window again and the glass shuddered in the panel. Jason knew he didn’t have much time. He stepped forward and put his hand on Nico’s shoulder, intending to shake the other demigod awake.   
  
He nearly got a throat full of Stygian iron for his trouble. As soon as Jason touched him, Nico was moving. His sword slashed past Jason’s face, a flash of black before his eyes. The son of Jupiter stumbled backward as Nico rolled to his feet.   
  
“Nico!” Jason yelled again.  
  
No reaction from the young demigod in front of him, except the movement of his sword into a guard position. Jason didn’t know what Nico was seeing, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t him or the cabin on the Argo II.   
  
More skeletons banged on the windows, trying to get in. If he didn’t do something quickly, Jason was pretty sure they would tear the ship apart. “Nico! Come on, man. Wake up!”  
  
Nico swung his blade low. Jason leapt back, nearly crashing into the wall. This wasn’t exactly the best place for a sparring session. Then Nico reversed his strike, bringing his sword around and Jason revised his opinion. This _wasn’t_ a sparring session.   
  
Jason engaged. He had to disable Nico without hurting him if he could help him. The Roman struck high, driving the smaller demigod back toward the bed. Nico spun, reflexes like a cat and stabbed at Jason’s stomach. Gold and black swords clashed, locking together.   
  
When Jason looked into Nico’s eyes, he only saw a frightening blankness. It scared him worse than anything the son of Hades had ever conjured before. He flexed his muscles, disengaging his blade from Nico’s and slammed the pommel of his sword into the Italian’s chin. The black sword fell from limp fingers as Nico crumpled into true unconsciousness.  
  
Jason caught him before he hit the floor.  
  
He glanced at the porthole, but saw no signs of skeletons. He tucked Nico back into the blankets before joining his friends upstairs.  
  
“Everyone okay?” he called as soon as he crested the top of the stairs.  
  
“We’re fine!” Piper answered, leaning over the railing to search for any skeletons that might still be hanging on. “They just sort of vanished.”  
  
Jason hid a sigh of relief. At least he’d been right about one thing--taking out Nico took out the skeletons he’d inadvertently called. He wasn’t going to tell any of the Seven that though. He didn’t want them being any more skittish around the son of Hades. The kid had enough on his plate already.  
  
Hazel walked over to him, eyes searching the darkness nearby. “Where’s Nico?”  
  
“He’s beat. He hadn’t finished recovering from getting the scepter so banishing those skeletons really took it out of him.” Jason gave her what he hoped was an innocent smile.  
  
She eyed him dubiously, as though unsure whether to trust him or not. Jason remembered how he’d been the one to question whether they should go after Nico when he was trapped in his jar and felt horrible. Hazel had called him out over it, and it looked like she still held a bit of a grudge.   
  
“I want to see him.” She swept past Jason in a cloud of cinnamon curls.  
  
Jason followed Hazel down to his cabin. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to be there when she saw her brother, but Jason felt protective over the younger demigod. Even with his own sister. He shook his head. That was messed up.  
  
Closing the door behind him, the son of Jupiter watched as Hazel arranged herself carefully on the edge of the bed. Nico was curled in a ball, knees tight to his chest, taking up as little space in the bed as possible. Jason had placed the Stygian iron sword next to him, and he saw that Nico’s hand rested on the hilt of it. He stationed himself in the corner of his room, ready to jump in at a moment’s notice if Nico seemed likely to hurt himself. He knew the other demigod would never hurt his sister.  
Hazel ran the back of her hand over her brother’s cheek, her touch gentle.   
  
She pressed a kiss to Nico’s forehead, but then stopped, pulling back abruptly. “What happened to his face?” she asked, voice sharp.  
  
“What do you mean?” Jason peered over her shoulder and bit back a curse. A dark bruise was already blooming on the pale skin of Nico’s jaw.  
  
Hazel pointed, an angry look on her face. “You didn’t tell me he got hurt when you went after the scepter!”  
  
Jason blinked. Keep it together, Grace. “Sorry, I didn’t think it was a big deal. And he didn’t want you to worry.” The lie came surprisingly easy to his lips.  
  
Hazel shook her head. “Boys,” she muttered. The brushed a strand of dark hair from his eyes. “I wish I didn’t have watch.”  
  
“I can sit with him,” Jason offered. “And then I’ll come get you when he wakes up.”  
  
Hazel gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Jason.”  
  
Jason looked down at a sleeping Nico di Angelo. It wasn’t for Hazel that he offered.


	5. Five

Nico came back to awareness slowly. Usually he was a light sleeper, a habit he’d picked up from being on his own. You had to be a light sleeper when you didn’t have anyone to watch for monsters while you slept. Today, it took a Herculean effort to open his tired eyelids. He didn’t remember a lot of what happened last night. He had the scepter, he and Jason had come back to the ship, and the rest was a blank.  
  
He shifted, feeling stiff and sore, almost like he’d run a marathon in full armor. He tried to sit up but his head ached. Flopping back down, Nico tried to remember what had happened.  
  
“How are you feeling?”  
  
Nico turned his head slowly, pain radiating outward from the side of his face. Jason Grace sat in a chair next to the bed.  
  
“Like I got trampled by a horse.” He took the small square of ambrosia Jason handed him. “What did I miss?”  
  
“You had a nightmare,” Jason told him simply. “Must have been a bad one.”  
  
Nico felt the blood drain from his face. What had he done?  
  
 _Dangerous…_  
  
 _Monstrous…_  
  
He ignored the Tartarus voice in his head and looked at Jason warily. The other demigod raised his eyebrows at him and said, “You want to tell me about it?”  
  
“Not particularly,” Nico answered sharply, pushing himself up on his elbows.  
  
Jason pushed his shoulder back down. “Rest and let the ambrosia work. I had to knock you out to get rid of those skeletons you were summoning in your sleep.”  
  
Nico blinked up at him, not believing what he’d just heard. He’d summoned the dead in his sleep? He didn’t remember much of the nightmare from Tartarus, thank the gods, and he didn’t want to go delving into it, but it had to have been a bad one. Was he losing control of his powers now?  
  
“Did I…did anyone get hurt?” His voice was low, almost a whisper.  
  
Jason smiled then. It was small and a little bit sad, but it was a smile. He wouldn’t be smiling if anyone had been injured. He would be yelling at Nico, telling him off and probably ordering him off the ship.  
  
“Nobody got hurt. We’re all fine.” Jason leaned forward. “Is that why you don’t sleep much? Because you’re afraid of doing stuff like that?”  
  
Nico looked at the wall. He didn’t want to talk to Jason about it, didn’t want to talk to anyone. Who would possibly understand who hadn’t been there?  
  
 _He’ll never accept you…_  
  
 _He’ll never believe you…_  
  
 _He’ll despise you…_  
  
“Shut up,” Nico whispered, squeezing his eyes shut. He pressed his hands over his ears, trying to block out the words that were coming from inside his own head.  
  
He felt Jason’s hand on his arm, firm and warm. What was the son of Jupiter still doing here? Shouldn’t he be running away in disgust? “What is it?” he asked.  
  
“Nothing,” Nico snarled, curling in on himself.   
  
_Liar…_  
  
 _Traitor…_  
  
 _Fool…_  
  
Strong hands forced him to turn. Blue eyes peered into his face. And suddenly Nico didn’t care anymore. Jason could think what he wanted to--he would anyway. Nico was just so…tired. Of everything.  
  
“Talk to me,” Jason urged. “Please.”  
  
Nico closed his eyes, feeling the tears that wanted to come clogging his head. He wouldn’t cry, not here and never in front of another person. “It’s Tartarus,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.  
  
Jason didn’t take his hands off of him. Instead of letting him go, the older demigod pushed Nico over to make room on the bed. He sat next to the young man, maneuvering them both until they were sitting with their backs against the wall and Jason could wrap his arm around Nico. The son of Hades didn’t protest, probably because he was too busy trying to control the shakes that ripped through his body at the mention of that place.  
  
“What about Tartarus?” Jason asked, his voice pitched just for the two of them.   
  
“I can still hear...” he swallowed, mouth going dry, “…hear the voices. Telling me things.” A shudder shook him and he felt Jason tighten his hold around his shoulders. “Horrible things.” His hands crept into his hair, fingers digging into his skull. “It won’t stop. It never stops.”  
  
“And it gets worse when you sleep?” Jason guessed.  
  
Nico nodded. The other demigod was like a wall of warmth at his side, comforting somehow, and steady. The son of Hades found his tremors abating when faced with that warmth. After a few moments of silence, he managed a weak explanation. “It’s like the Pit followed me here. It’s part of why I don’t like to sleep.”  
  
“Why haven’t you said anything about it before?”  
  
Shaking his head, Nico took a deep breath. “Why? Nobody can do anything about it. And people already think I’m weird enough.”  
  
He felt Jason tense against his side. Nico smiled without humor. As much as the son of Jupiter believed that the others wouldn’t judge him, Nico knew otherwise. He wasn’t likeable and sweet like Hazel. He knew what the others said about him when he wasn’t around.  
  
“What if,” Jason began, then stopped, hesitating over his next words. “What if someone would keep watch over you when you have to sleep?”  
  
Nico laughed, a sound without any mirth in it. When Jason didn’t say anything, Nico risked a glance up at him. The blond demigod stared down at him, his face as open as a book. “You’re serious.”  
  
Jason nodded.  
  
Nico scowled. “You’d do that for me? Why?”  
  
“I told you. You’ve done the bravest thing I think I’ve ever seen. And I really think you could do with a friend.” There was no mockery in Jason’s face, no judgment, no censure or disgust. Just acceptance.   
  
Nico blinked in astonishment. “Are you for real?” he asked, disbelief coloring his voice.   
  
“Is that a yes?” Jason smiled down at him.  
  
“That’s an _I’ll think about it_ ,” Nico told him, moving away from Jason’s side. He slid off of the bed, needing some space and time to think. He kept waiting for the voice in his head to return, but it remained--thankfully--silent. He sheathed his sword in a smooth movement, and then hunted around for his shoes.   
  
He was just getting ready to leave, when Nico turned and addressed Jason, who hadn’t moved from his spot on the bed. “And Jason?”  
  
“Yeah?” The other demigod looked concerned.  
  
“Thanks.” Nico ducked through the door before the other demigod could ruin the moment by pushing for more.  
  
He didn’t see Jason’s wide grin.


	6. Six

Jason kept an eye on Nico over the next day or so, but the boy was maddeningly scarce. It was like he knew Jason was looking for him and ducked out of sight as soon as the other demigod appeared. Jason briefly considered getting a belled collar for Nico so he could at least keep track of him that way, but thought better of it. He was pretty certain the son of Hades would kill him just on general principle. But the thought made him smile--the visual of Nico wearing a cat’s collar was just too funny, especially since the younger demigod was very catlike in a lot of his mannerisms.  
  
Especially his leave me alone ones.  
  
They’d been stuck in the lord of the South Wind’s palace for two days now and they were no closer to getting the ship repaired or finding what happened to Leo. Jason had an audience with the king on both days, but he still hadn’t offered them his help. The son of Jupiter was getting frustrated.  
  
He headed below decks to check on the Athena Parthenos, just to have something to do. Before he’d even made it all the way down the stairs, he heard the clash of swords. He drew his own blade and advanced slowly.  
  
The hold was gloomy, shadows everywhere. Jason wondered what happened to the lights--the Argo II was almost ridiculously well-lit. Then he rounded the far side of the statue and took in a sight that made his eyes widen to the size of saucers.  
  
Nico di Angelo was sparring. With the dead.   
  
The young man had stripped off his leather jacket and fought in shirtsleeves and jeans. He’d pulled his hair back in a messy tail. He wore no armor to protect himself, even though the swords of the dead were just as sharp now as they’d been in life. One wrong move and Nico could be killed. He was fighting with a huge man in ancient Greek armor.   
  
As Jason watched, Nico parried a blow aimed to remove his head from his neck. Stygian iron clanged against bronze, and then the smaller demigod was leaping back, sword slashing across his opponent’s chest. He disappeared in a shower of black sparks.   
  
Another spirit took the first one’s place. This one wasn’t nearly as large as the first opponent had been, but where that one had strength on his side, this soldier clearly relied on speed. Nico’s sword became a black blur as he tried to block his sparring partner’s furious attacks. Jason planted the tip of his sword in the decking, certain Leo would kill him for marring his perfect floor, and watched.  
  
Nico flowed like the waters of the Styx, always in motion, always deflecting the blade that seemed this close to piercing his flesh. Every time he slid away, striking and moving on, never still. Jason had to admit that the younger demigod was a skilled fighter, far better than he would have expected him to be.   
  
The spirit slashed viciously at Nico’s ribs, but the black blade stopped a thrust that would likely have killed him. He drove his opponent back with a flurry of blows, but then seemed to weaken as his right leg buckled. Nico fell to one knee. The spirit, sensing victory, leaped forward, sword raised high. Jason cried out, his own sword flicking out, but he knew there was no way he’d be able to make it there in time to stop the blow headed for Nico’s head.  
  
Then Nico twisted and swung the Stygian sword in a low arc, slicing through the spirit’s legs completely. The spirit dissipated in a the same shower of black sparks as the first.   
  
Jason clapped. He couldn’t help it. That display of sword skill had been very impressive.  
  
Nico’s head swung sharply in his direction, brows drawn low over his dark eyes in irritation. Sweat made the t-shirt he wore stick to his back, emphasizing his thin frame. The younger demigod pushed sweat-soaked hair out of his face and levered himself back to his feet. He leaned heavily on his black sword.   
  
“You need something?” he asked Jason in a harsh voice.  
  
Shaking his head, the son of Jupiter moved closer. He hadn’t forgotten his promise to Nico in his cabin days before. He wanted to help him with his Tartarus nightmares. He wanted to be his friend, even if Nico himself didn’t seem to want that for himself.   
  
Jason was patient. He could wait.  
  
“Just watching the show. Who were those guys?”  
  
Nico shrugged, walking over to the Athena Parthenos. He slid down the side of it, back braced against it as he sat. “The big guy was Ajax. The second one was Odysseus.”  
  
Jason gaped at him. “Wait, like Ajax Ajax? From the Trojan war?”  
  
Nodding, Nico leaned his head against the statue tiredly. “That’s the one.”  
  
“Wow.” Then Jason realized who he’d said the second guy was. “Odysseus. Wily Odysseus?” Jason shook his head and chuckled. “You don’t believe in starting small, do you?”  
  
“Odysseus was harder,” Nico said flatly, as if he didn’t like Jason complimenting him. “He’s sneaky. Ajax is pretty much hack and smash all the time. And if that doesn’t work, he just does it harder.”  
  
“I saw you fake Odysseus out with that leg sweep. That was pretty nice work.”   
  
He saw Nico flush, and then duck his head. The younger demigod shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”  
  
Jason sat beside him, mostly so he wouldn’t appear to be looming over him. “How long have you been doing that? Training with the dead, I mean.”  
  
Nico closed his eyes briefly. Jason wondered just how tired he was. He’d regained a little weight and muscle since his time in the jar, but he was still wan and pale, and the dark circles under his eyes had only gotten deeper. He was still too thin, although now it was covered over in a layer of muscle.   
  
He was silent so long that Jason wondered if Nico had fallen asleep. But then the boy spoke. “I don’t know, a couple of years, maybe.” He shrugged one shoulder. “It’s no big deal.”  
  
Jason wanted to shake him. “Do you always do it without armor?”  
  
Nico’s eyes flashed open, spearing the son of Jupiter with his dark gaze. “Why do you care?”  
  
“They could kill you,” he warned.  
  
Nico laughed bitterly. “Like anyone would actually notice.”  
  
“Hazel would,” Jason told him, using his trump card early. He knew Nico would never willingly do anything to hurt his half-sister. “You need to be more carefully, if only for her sake.”  
  
Nico looked like he’d swallowed something sour, but didn’t protest. Jason knew he had him. Instead of pressing the issue though, he turned to another one that was bothering him. “How are you sleeping?”  
  
Nico shrugged, not looking at him. That was all the answer Jason needed. “You can’t avoid it forever,” he told him.  
  
“I can try,” Nico shot back. He stood quickly. “I need to shower.”   
  
Before Jason could say anything else, the son of Hades shadow travelled away.  
  
“I’m going to lo-jack his butt next time,” the son of Jupiter vowed to empty air.


	7. Seven

Nico paced the deck. Night had fallen long ago. They would be in Greece soon and then the House of Hades.   
  
_Come back, little demigod…_  
 _We’re waiting for you…_  
 _This is where you belong…_  
  
He leaned against the railing, wind ruffling his dark hair. He watched the dark water below him and tried to drown out the voices in his head.   
  
He’d made a mess of things with Jason that last day in the South Wind’s palace. Grace had only been trying to help--again, damn him--and Nico had lost his temper. He’d opened a crack in the ground, for Hades’ sake! Way to go, idiot. No wonder nobody in either camp trusted him. He was a freaking nightmare.  
  
 _Worthless…_  
 _Idiot…_  
 _Lost cause…_  
 _Not worth the trouble…_  
 _Better if you died…_  
  
“Shut. IT.” He spoke aloud, his voice a low growl. The voice of Tartarus was with him more and more lately. He wondered how long it would be before he went insane--how long he had before the voices finished what Tartarus had started.   
  
It made him miss the pomegranate seeds and the jar.   
  
But he’d made a promise. He meant what he’d said to Jason earlier. He’d lead them all to through the House of Hades to the Doors of Death if it killed him, and then he’d disappear. Hazel had Frank now; she wouldn’t need him for very much longer. Nico was happy that Hazel had found someone to love. She deserved happiness in this life after everything she’d gone through in her previous one. She’d be better off when he left.  
  
 _Lonely…_  
 _Bereft…_  
 _Pathetic…_  
 _Do you think they’ll cry…_  
  
Nico gripped the railing so tightly his knuckles turned white as the mocking voices filled his head again. He just wanted them to stop.   
  
It made him laugh, a sound like a dry cough. Since when had he ever gotten what he wanted?  
  
 _Pull it together, di Angelo._ This voice was his own. _You can be all tragic and depressed and self-pitying after wards. Right now, you’ve got a job to do.  
_  
Exhaustion pulled at him. He should rest; he needed to rest. If he was going to get everyone through the House of Hades, he would need all of his strength.  
  
But he was terrified. Of sleeping. Of what dreams would come when he closed his eyes. Of being back…there…alone and frightened and hurting.   
  
What if he summoned the dead like he had the last time he’d really slept? There were always shipwrecks and drowning and deaths at sea. There would be no shortage of skeletons. He didn’t want to hurt anyone. And while he appreciated Jason keeping his secret, he couldn’t ask the son of Jupiter to do it twice.  
  
As if the thought of the Roman conjured him, Jason walked over and stood at Nico’s elbow. The younger demigod pushed himself straight, but didn’t take his eyes off of the water. Maybe if he ignored him, the blond would go away.  
  
“Nice night,” Jason said.  
  
Nico made a noncommittal noise, refusing to be drawn into conversation.   
  
_Stupid…_  
 _Weak…_  
 _Frightened little boy…_  
 _Playing at being a hero…_  
  
Nico stiffened, hands grabbing at the rail spasmodically. The voices lashed at him, sensing his weakness. The son of Hades bowed his head, shoulders hunching, wishing he could reach into his head and pluck out the voices.  
  
“Still hear them, huh?” Jason asked. He looked up at the moon, blue eyes full of light.   
  
After a few moments, Nico nodded. He didn’t trust himself to speak.  
  
“What are they saying?” Still Jason didn’t look at him, as if they older boy knew that if he openly acknowledged the younger demigod or the conversation they were having that Nico would disappear.   
  
“The usual.” Nico’s voice sounded hoarse to his own ears.  
  
Jason leaned his forearms against the rail, eyes searching the night sky. “Well, since I don’t know what the usual is, maybe you could enlighten me.”  
  
Staring at his fingers still wrapped bloodlessly around the railing, Nico forced them to let go. He tucked his icy hands into the pockets of his aviator jacket and shrugged. Why did Jason want to know? What good would it do if Nico told him?  
  
Jason didn’t push; just let the question sit there in the silence between the two of them. Finally, Nico spoke, his voice so soft that he saw the other demigod lean closer to hear him. “Liar, weakling, coward, freak, blah blah blah.” Nico took a deep breath, trying to keep his breathing and voice even.   
  
“Not very inventive then,” Jason said. He pointed up at the sky. “Hey look, a shooting star.”  
  
Nico did look at Jason, eyes wide. Was the Roman serious? “Wha--what?”  
  
“Shooting star,” the blond repeated. “Pretty cool. Not every day you see one of those.”  
  
“Not the stupid star, Grace.” Nico rolled his eyes. Jason could be so infuriating sometimes.   
  
Jason finally looked at him, giving him a very toothy grin. “Oh, you mean the Tartarus stuff?” At Nico’s hesitant nod, he shrugged. “You keep expecting me to get up and leave, like I’ll suddenly figure out how horrible you are. But as far as I can tell, you’re the only one doing that.”  
  
Nico stared at Jason, speechless. All of his carefully cultivated walls, his defenses were useless around the son of Jupiter. They guy just didn’t take no for an answer. Pushing him away didn’t make him run away or give up; it seemed to be doing the exact opposite. What was he supposed to do with that?  
  
“So I’ll repeat my offer. You need to sleep and I don’t have watch tonight. I don’t mind being your lookout.” Jason stared into Nico’s eyes, and the son of Hades forced himself to hold the gaze.   
  
He ran a hand through tangled dark hair. He did need to rest if he was going to be of any use in the House of Hades. It didn’t mean he trusted Jason though. Nico suspected that Grace would happily forget about him once this quest was over and nobody needed him for anything anymore. But for tonight, maybe he could let him watch his back.  
  
“Fine,” he growled at the son of Jupiter. “If it will make you feel better, then fine.”  
  
He proceeded Jason down the steps to the lower decks, grinning a little at the surprised look on Grace’s face.


	8. Eight

Jason gave Nico a little time after their impromptu victory picnic before seeking him out. He wanted to make sure the son of Hades managed to actually get some of that rest he’d disappeared for before having to cart a massive statue of one pissed off goddess thousands of miles in a desperate bid to save both camps. He’d checked in with Piper, letting her know where he was off to. It had earned him a strange look, but she’d said nothing.   
  
Jason hoped he’d proven to Nico that he trusted him back in the House of Hades. Nico had looked shocked when the son of Jupiter had taken the poison chalice from him and drank from it without the slightest hesitation. The younger demigod had proven his trustworthiness to Jason; he only hoped he had done the same.  
Tartarus had done a number on him, of that Jason had no doubt. Every doubt Nico had ever had, every insecurity inside of him, had been amplified and used against him while he was there. It was no wonder he thought everyone would turn away from him. He’d been down there for the gods alone knew how long before being captured and put in that jar. And if those voices were still in his head…  
  
No. Jason didn’t believe that Tartarus had actually followed Nico out. The son of Hades hadn’t brought anything from that foul place out with him, except for massive amounts of psychological damage. That kind of thing couldn’t be healed by nectar or ambrosia. It would take time.   
  
He hoped Nico would be able to recover some of the joy he had at one point. Reyna had told him about the younger demigod’s visits to Camp Jupiter, and it was as he’d thought: Nico was respected and even liked by the few who’d been lucky enough to get to know him. Gwen especially had only glowing things to say about Pluto’s ambassador.   
  
If anyone had asked Jason what he saw in Nico, he would have told them: kindness. The young man was unfailingly kind, especially to those who might be lost or forgotten. First Hazel, then Gwen, and Percy and Annabeth had mentioned something about Bob the Titan--Jason couldn’t wait to hear about that one--and now going on this quest to return the statue of Athena. Nico always helped. When the chips were down, the son of Hades always made the right choice. He always helped his friends, even now, when he thought he had none.   
  
For that reason alone, Jason would always defend Nico.   
  
Jason went to the hold, but was shooed away by Leo. He was getting the Athena Parthenos ready for her journey. Soon he would be lowering her to the ground so that Nico and Reyna and Hedge could be on their way. He doubted he’d find Nico anywhere down there with all of that noise and commotion. As he climbed back to the deck, he grinned and looked up.  
  
He knew exactly where he’d find Nico di Angelo.  
  
Jason grabbed a couple of blankets from his room and all the pillows he could find. If he knew the son of Hades, the young man would just be huddling in the crow’s nest with only his jacket for comfort and warmth. Calling the winds, he flew up to the top of the main mast and dumped his fuzzy burden on top of an irritated demigod.  
  
“Special delivery,” he told the dark haired demigod, who was currently trying to dig his way out of the stack of blankets.  
  
“What is wrong with you, Grace?” Nico growled. The angry look he gave Jason was sort of ruined by the fact that he was wound in a yellow fleece blanket and half-buried under a mound of pillows. He looked like he’d been attacked by a rogue sleepover party.  
  
“You said you needed to rest. I’m simply providing for you.” He hopped over the wall of the crow’s nest and began to make a nest of his own.   
Nico punched a pillow and grumbled.  
  
“What was that?” Jason asked, a sly smile quirking his lips. “I’m afraid I didn’t catch that.”  
  
“Freaking pushy demigod is what I said,” the other teen told him, biting off each word.   
  
Shrugging, Jason arranged the blankets to his satisfaction. “Shut up and sleep,” he said cheerily.  
  
Still grumbling, Nico tucked himself in among all of the pillows and blankets. Jason tried not to watch, but he’d be lying if he tried to pretend he wasn’t concerned. He’d seen Nico’s face while he’d watched all of them hover around Percy and Annabeth. He’d noticed how quickly he’d dropped Percy’s hand when he’d shadow traveled them all out of the House of Hades. He knew how hard it was for Nico, being around all of them and feeling like he’d never fit in, like he wasn’t wanted.  
  
“Hey,” Jason said, knowing that the son of Hades hadn’t dropped off to sleep yet, “you’d better be careful.”  
  
“I’ll look out for Reyna, Grace. Don’t worry.” Nico pulled a blanket up to his chin and burrowed into his fleecy nest a bit more.   
  
Jason lightly smacked the top of his dark head. “I’m talking about you, idiot. You be careful.”  
  
Nico rolled over, blinking at the son of Jupiter in what looked like surprise. “Why do you care?”  
  
Biting back an exasperated sigh, Jason shook his head. “You are seriously dense, has anyone ever told you that?” When Nico looked confused, Jason said, “I get that Tartarus pulled a number on you, but so far, you’re the only one who thinks you aren’t worth anything. And I know I can’t undo everything you saw and heard and felt while you were down there, but can you please give me the benefit of the doubt that I might actually like having you around? And do your best not to get yourself killed?”  
  
Nico’s jaw hung open in shock. After a few silent moments, he closed it with a snap. “Uh, okay?”  
  
“That better not be a question.”  
  
“Okay.” Nico said it more firmly this time. “I’ll do my best.”  
  
“Fantastic. Was that so hard?” Jason waited a beat before adding, “And don’t you call me pushy.”  
  
A muffled laugh came from beneath a blanket. It was the last sound he’d been expecting to hear, but it made him smile. “Pushy.”  
  
“Brat.”  
  
“That’s Zombie Brat to you.”  
  
Jason rolled his eyes. “Fine.”  
  
They fell into a comfortable silence. Which Jason couldn’t help but break to ask, “If you want to talk about what it was like, I mean, seeing Percy and Annabeth…”  
  
A sharp groan cut him off, followed by a pillow to the face. “You just had to go and ruin it, didn’t you,” Nico said in a sleepy voice. “You’re a ruiner."  
  
“Sorry. Forget I mentioned it.” Jason grinned and tucked the pillow back under Nico’s head. At least the son of Hades hadn’t tried to stab him. It was progress.  
  
“Yeah yeah.” Nico was quiet for a moment, but then he asked, “If I start having a nightmare…” he trailed off, as if unable to finish his request.  
  
“I’ll wake you up.” Jason smiled down at the dark head nestled among the mismatched blankets.  
  
“Thanks, Grace.”  
  
“Any time, di Angelo.”


	9. Nine

Nico worked at the rope he was knotting together, hands moving deftly as he created a kind of a harness for the statue. He felt a little like a dog attached to the world’s biggest sled. But it was the only way he could figure on transporting the forty foot statue of Athena. He hoped it would work.  
  
He heard someone’s footsteps and looked up to find Percy standing next to him. The son of Poseidon didn’t seem to know what to say at first and Nico wasn’t really interested in a caring and sharing moment. While he’d told Jason he was over his crush on Percy, he knew there would always be part of him that would have feelings for the green-eyed demigod. It didn’t make him feel good to admit it, but it was the truth.  
  
 _Filth…_  
  
 _Degenerate…_  
  
 **QUIET.**  
  
It was his own inner voice snapping out to silence the voice of Tartarus. That was new.   
  
Percy was babbling something about Nico’s talks with Bob and more useless words--because, let’s face it, they weren’t the words Nico had wanted to hear--and Nico waited for the Tartarus voices to begin again. But they didn’t.  
  
“Yeah, well, not giving people a second thought…that can be dangerous,” Nico told him, still distant as he waited for the voices to start back up.  
  
Percy looked a little offended. “Dude, I’m trying to thank you.”  
  
Nico was 100 percent done with this conversation. He hadn’t done what he’d done for a thank you. He laughed mirthlessly. “I’m trying to say you don’t need to.” He didn’t have time to think about Percy or his feelings or anything else. He had a job to do--a very hard job that was probably going to push him to his limits. Nico needed to focus on that.   
  
“Now I need to finish this, if you could give me some space?” he told the son of Poseidon. Percy backed off.   
  
_You’ll fail…_  
  
 _Disappointment…_  
  
 _You’ll die…_  
  
 **ENOUGH.**  
  
Again, his inner voice stilled the others in his head. It surprised him so much so he didn’t notice that the others had joined him. When he came back to the outside world, he saw Jason and Piper standing near Leo, Hazel, and Frank. Reyna and Coach Hedge came to join him at the statue.  
  
“All right,” Nico said. “Grab the ropes, please.” He saw Jason raise his hand in farewell. Nico lifted his chin in acknowledgement, giving the son of Jupiter a small smile.   
  
“Here we go.”  
  
And he led them into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So thanks for reading. It's my first HoO fanfiction--actually my first fanfiction, although I do write for a living. What can I say, I like to play in someone else's sandbox every once in a while. 
> 
> I really liked the idea of Tartarus hitting Nico so hard that it basically derailed his personality. He was pretty comfortable in The Son of Neptune and seemed to be striking a balance between the little kid he was to the adult he might grow to be. But then Tartarus came along and...well...there you go. I always thought it preyed on all of his insecurities and that's a hard thing when you've got the kind of baggage Nico carries.
> 
> Not sure whether or not I'll write anything else--that will depend on Blood of Olympus and any possible leftover Jasico feels I may have. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed.

**Author's Note:**

> So after reading House of Hades, I really wanted to examine what being in Tartarus by himself had done to Nico. In The Son of Neptune, Nico was actually closer to the Nico we met in Titan's Curse--smiling, helpful, just in a much better place emotionally. And then he goes to Tartarus. I wanted to work out what he might have gone through that got him to the point he is in House of Hades.  
> Thanks for reading.


End file.
